


An Odé To Flower Crowns and Heartbreak

by bothromeoandjuliet



Series: Spring Fling Jeronica Week [7]
Category: Archie Comics, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie is there for Betty, Archie just wants everyone to be happy, Betty is brokenhearted, F/M, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Veronica is there for Jughead, flower crowns for everyone, jeronica from the pov of Archie, lots of fluff to make up for yesterdays angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 15:16:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18054983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bothromeoandjuliet/pseuds/bothromeoandjuliet
Summary: Archie sends Betty off to heal her broken heart and sets out to see what he can do for the other half of the equation. He wants to help Jughead feel better but he might not be needed. Because in-between inside jokes and flower crowns, Archie watches as Jughead and Veronica's friendship; and romance, blooms to life.





	An Odé To Flower Crowns and Heartbreak

**Author's Note:**

> Day number seven, the final prompt and day of Spring Fling Jeronica Week. I can't believe that it's already over, even though I am excited to work on some of my other projects, (a continuation of one of this weeks prompts and maybe a multi-chapter if I'm lucky) I can't help but be sad that this week is over. I've gotten to chat with so many wonderful people and gotten to see such amazing content be created, its just been wonderful. Thank you all for keeping up with this series, and I hope that I'll see you with future works! For the last time, (until next year,) the prompt is In Bloom.

 

 

It's always been tough being the glue between them, but it had been a job that Archie had never minded having. Even though Betty and Jughead were about as different as you could get when they were kids, they had both always had one common goal, to protect Archie.

So even though Betty had no idea what alcohol was until she was twelve years old and Jughead had never seen the inside of a sushi restaurant in his entire life, they still managed to enjoy one another.

Then they entered high school and things changed. Not in a bad way in Archie’s opinion, the idea that something was binding his two oldest friends together that was stronger then himself was nice, even if it did mean that there were some inside jokes that he didn’t understand or experiences that Archie didn’t get to share.

But then one night during their senior year, Archie’s phone rang, Jughead’s name glowing brightly on the screen.

“Jug? What…What time is it?”

“Late, early, I don’t know! Listen, Arch you need to call Betty.”

“What? Why, is she okay?”

“I don’t…Look Archie, we broke up, okay? It sucks, it's absolute crap, but we both knew it had to happen and…I just need you to take care of Betty okay? ‘Cause I know that you can’t be there for both of us and she is gonna need you more then I do.”

Then the connection had broken off and Archie was left in the dark of his room, eyes bleary from sleep and legs tangled in his sheets.

Jughead had been right, just like he always seemed to be. Betty wasn’t okay, not even a little. She refused to do anything if Archie wasn’t there, refused to even eat. It got to be so bad that Mrs. Cooper actually asked his dad if Archie would stay at their house for awhile, just so Betty could regain some sense of her former self.

His dad had agreed and so Archie had moved into the Coopers, where, after a few weeks of downright anguish, Betty slowly started down the road of recovery, with Archie by her side every step of the way.

He didn’t hear a lot from Jughead, except for the occasional text to reassure himself that Jughead was still alive. They never talked about Betty, just video games or about the homework that they were working on. He didn’t even see him at school, he was too busy chaperoning Betty from class to class and thanking the heavens that Betty and Jughead didn’t share any classes.

The first day of spring break finally came and Archie drove Betty and her mom to the airport. They were going to visit Polly and the twins, soak up as much sun as possible and hopefully find Betty’s smile.

“Thank you so much Archie.” Betty whispers, wrapping her arms around him.

“You’ve done so much for me and I can’t even imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t had you.”

“It's not a problem Betty. The best thanks that you can give me is to come back home from San Fransisco with a smile and some epic tourist photos.”

“I will Arch, I promise, and-“

“Elizabeth that's our flight being called! Goodbye for now Archibald, I hope you have a safe drive home. Come on Betty!”

And so with one last half-hearted wave, Betty walked away, holding tightly to her mom with one hand, to her suitcase with the other. Archie watched their plane fly away, until it had completely disappeared. Then, pulling his phone out of his pocket and speed walking to his car in the parking lot, he called a number that he hadn’t called in a long time.

“Hey Jughead. You free right now?”

Jughead was free and so with a bit more speed then was strictly legal, Archie headed to his trailer. Archie was excited to see him, if a touch nervous. He had seen the affects of the breakup from Betty first hand but he had no clue as to how Jughead was fairing through all of this.

The grassy patch that the Jones’ trailer sat on was very slightly overgrown, grass blades leave wet marks an Archie’s boots from last nights rain and nearing the door Archie heard  the last sound that he had been expecting to hear; laughter.

He opened the door cautiously, pocking his head inside and felt his nose wrinkle slightly as the scent of wildflowers hit it.

“Archie! Hey man.” called out Jughead, looking up from where he was sitting on the couch, his computer in his lap. “Come on in.”

“Hey Jug.”

Archie responded, closing the door behind him and furrowing his brow as he glanced around the living room. About seven different bouquets sat on the coffee table and more unbound groups of flowers were laying haphazardly all over the floor.

“Hi Archikins!”

Veronica’s voice pierced through Archie’s concentration and turning he watched her pull the bathroom door closed behind her, brushing her black hair out of her face with her perfectly painted nails.

“Veronica…What are you doing here?”

“Wait, you can see her too? And here I was thinking that my house had been possessed by a overdressed wood-nymph who mission it was to see how much pollen my nose could handle before I started to sneeze!”

“Shut up Jughead.” Veronica replied, squeezing past Archie to sit back down among the flowers.

“To answer your question Archie, I’m here because my mom’s florist ordered too many flowers for an event that my mom is having and to save these specimens of nature's beauty I had to promise to get them out of the Pembrooke, post haste.”

“And the only place you could bring them was here?” Archie asks, sinking down to sit next Jughead on the low couch.

“Well I could have brought them to the speakeasy but I thought that if I couldn’t convince that grumpy pants,” pointing a flower stem at Jughead “to go out and enjoy the outdoors, I might as well bring the outdoors to him! Plus I have a bet on with Kevin that I can get a picture of Jughead wearing a flower crown.”

Jughead’s fingers, which up till now had been tapping rapidly on his computer keys, halted and he lifted his eyes to Veronica’s glowing face.

“And what exactly are the spoils of this bet?”

“Twenty-five dollars and a promise that Kevin will stop trying to look over my shoulder for answers when we have a pop quiz in English class. Why?”

“What were you thinking of spending this cash prize on?”

She lifts her shoulders carelessly, continuing to snip thorns off of the pale pink rose that she’s holding.

“New napkin holders for La Bonne Nuit? I don’t know, I hadn’t really thought about it. I mostly just want Kevin to stop trying to use me to cheat.”

Jughead didn’t say anything for a minute, considering, and then said,

“You can have your picture, but your twenty-five dollar prize goes towards a dinner for us at Pops. And you have to go get me a soda from the fridge.”

“Are you serious?!”

Veronica’s tone was incredulous and Jughead just nodded sagely.

“Deadly.”

“Never again will I doubt you Jughead Jones!” she cried, scrambling to her feet in a very un-Veronica way, asking,

“Do you want anything Archie?”

“Nah, I’m good Ronnie.”

She disappeared into the kitchen with a nod and Archie took the opportunity to ask Jughead in a quiet whisper,

“Are you doing okay Jug?”

Jughead glanced towards the doorway to the kitchen and then looked back at Archie with a slightly grim smile.

“Yeah, I am. I mean, it wasn’t easy at first but its been a few months now and I’m ready for my next chapter, you now what I mean?”

“Yeah, I know.”

They both turned away from one another as Veronica re-entered the room, beaming softly at both of them, an off brand bottle of soda held loosely in her hand.

“You gonna make Arch wear a flower crown too Veronica?” Jughead asks, hand outstretched.

“As tempting as the sight of both of you in flower crowns would be I’m going to have to say no to that one.” she responded, handing the soda to him “Unless you really want one Archie.”

Archie shakes his head emphatically in the negative, both Jughead and Veronica laugh, and Archie joins in. Because its been so long since he laughed, and he kinda’ misses it.

“Now I have a special vision for this crown of yours Jughead,” Veronica said, scooping different colored flowers into her arms. “and I think that you’re going to like it.”

“Anything involving me taking off my hat for someone makes the, ‘Don’t Like’ list Ronnie.”

Veronica straightened, glancing over at Jughead and muttering something too quietly for Archie to make out. Evidently Jughead could though, since his expression turned into an embarrassed scowl at her words. Veronica smiled again at Jughead’s reaction and then walked over to the couch, dropping the flowers on the coffee table and kneeling next to Jughead’s slumped form.

“I know what makes your list Forsythe, which is why I’m going to turn your crown beanie into a flower crown beanie!”

“This dinner at Pops better have multiple servings of french fries, because this is starting to compete to be the new worst moment of my life.”

“Oh, you know you love it Jones!”

Veronica’s words are purely playful, but something about them catches Archie’s attention. Because they’re too playful; her words, the way that Jughead closes his eyes even though Veronica is so close to him, how Veronica is straddling Jughead’s right leg so she can stick the carefully chosen flowers into the fold of his beanie, and how when Veronica takes Jughead’s soda from his hand he opens his eyes and watches her mouth as she takes a sip.

It's subtle enough that he might be imagining things, after all, if Veronica was talking she was most likely flirting and Jughead can be as observant as a brick wall when he chooses to be, but Archie knows that there's something more, something dark brewing under the surface.

Something tension filled and long-lasting, something that Archie would be lying if he said that he hadn’t felt it before when it came to Veronica and Jughead.

He thinks about Betty, beautiful, broken Betty, whose finally feeling better after so long and how if Veronica and Jughead were to actually acknowledge the underlying something she would be thrown back into heartache.

But what could Archie do? Because what if he were to say something to Jughead, or to Veronica, would it just exasperate the situation? Would they continue to ignore things if no-one ever brought their attention to it? Or would it happen naturally even if Archie didn’t warn them against it.

A laugh broke through Archie’s thoughts and he was brought back to the present moment, a moment were Jughead and Veronica were simply two friends who are a tiny bit closer, (or a whole lot, Archie thinks eyes drawn to Veronica’s legs pressed against Jugheads,) then they were before, and having a good time together, just like regular teenagers.

Veronica must have noticed Archie’s face change and looked over Jughead’s head; (that she holding the back of, forcing him to look down at their legs so she can finish putting flowers in the back of his hat,) she frowned at him, her expression concerned.

“Are you feeling okay Archikins?”

Now would be the moment for Archie to say something, he knows it, and knows just what would happen. Veronica’s fingers would drop from Jughead’s hair and she would rise unsteadily to her feet and Jughead would look at the floor, face flushed and horrified at what Archie was insinuating. Archie would say it and be cruel and Betty would be safe.

But it would be cruel.

So Archie just shook his head and tried his best to smile naturally and said,

“I’m fine Ronnie. You guys don’t need to worry.”

And if Archie had anything to do with it they never will.


End file.
